A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and Nollywood actor, Kenneth Okonkwo, has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to declare the office of Bayelsa State Governor vacant, following Governor Douye Diri’s resignation from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Governor Diri announced his resignation from the PDP on Wednesday, amid speculation of an imminent move to the All Progressives Congress (APC), a development that also involved several members of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly.
Reacting to the development in a post on Instagram, Okonkwo argued that Diri’s exit from the PDP without immediate affiliation to another political party amounts to a constitutional breach, thereby invalidating his mandate as governor.
He referenced Section 177(c) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which states that a person is qualified to be elected governor only if they are "a member of a political party and sponsored by that political party."
"Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State has just vacated his seat by resigning from the PDP and not belonging to any party.
"The law is clear: an elected official can move from one party to another but cannot remain without a party at any time. I therefore call on INEC to declare his seat vacant immediately and conduct a fresh election in Bayelsa State within the next 90 days," he said.
As at the time of this report, neither INEC nor Governor Diri has issued an official statement regarding the resignation or the claims made by Okonkwo.
The political climate in Bayelsa remains tense, with observers awaiting clarity on the governor’s next political step.
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